Oncotelic Therapeutics, Inc. announced the initiation of its second investigator initiated studies (IIS) in a series of planned clinical studies. The company have submitted to US FDA a protocol for the study with approximately 30 patients with non-small cell lung cancer in collaboration with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and a large pharmaceutical company in the field of immuno-oncology (IO). The study will be combining oligodeoxynucleotide OT-101 and a US FDA approved anti-PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitor.

Near term, the Company is planning to initiate up to 7 clinical studies in various oncology indications along with ‘Centers of Excellence' and major pharmaceutical companies. The first trial as noted in a prior press release is planned to be in patients with metastatic pleural mesothelioma. All studies will be assessing the tumor response to various combination studies assessing pre and post therapeutic biopsies measuring close to 800 genes, changes in phenotype and functionality, cytokines, suppressive immune cells; and their spatial distribution within the tumor.